BISMARCK,
N.D. –- North Dakota law enforcement will be watching closely for underage
drinking throughout April and May as part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled
Over campaign. With the onset of spring in North Dakota, several high
school activities like prom, graduation and other celebrations occur, around
which underage drinking can happen. However, alcohol use among teenagers is
avoidable. Positive influences from parents, schools, the community, and law
enforcement can reinforce the fact that underage alcohol use is not acceptable
or a “rite of passage,” and that celebrations do not need to include alcohol.

“Consuming
alcohol underage has consequences, whether from parents, schools and coaches,
or even law enforcement,” said Karin Mongeon, North Dakota Department of Transportation
(NDDOT) Safety Division Director. “Law enforcement’s main goal over the next
two months is to educate and deter teens from drinking in order to keep them
safe, especially on our roads. In addition, if law enforcement does find them
consuming or in possession of alcohol, those individuals could end up in court
and ordered to pay fines."

The
NDDOT administers federal grant funding for underage drinking enforcement as
part of an overall effort to prevent deaths and injuries on North Dakota roads.
Learn more about the efforts to prevent teen driver crashes at ndcodefortheroad.org
or join the conversation on the Code for the Road Facebook
or Twitter
page.

Families
are invited to create memorials for young drivers and passengers who have died
in crashes in North Dakota at ndcodefortheroad.org/memorial.
Each memorial is built on the hope of preventing another death.